


happy end roll

by thunderylee



Series: love february 2021 [2]
Category: NEWS (Japan Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Meet-Cute, Neighbors, milk-chan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:55:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29160774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderylee/pseuds/thunderylee
Summary: It's just an ordinary Tuesday until Massu finds a cat on his porch.
Relationships: Koyama Keiichiro/Masuda Takahisa
Series: love february 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138346
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	happy end roll

**Author's Note:**

> love february day 2: meet cute! this isn't really my genre so i might not have done it right. title from news' b-side changes.

Massu expertly balances several bags of groceries in one arm as he reaches for his keys with the other. The sun is setting earlier and earlier, leaving him fumbling to find the keyhole in the dark. The light next to his apartment has been burnt out since he’s lived here, and the only time he notices it is right now when the leasing office has already closed for the day.

Eventually, he gets the front door open and begins his evening routine. It’s Tuesday, which means groceries and windows. Massu has a strict schedule of various chores and activities to break up the monotony of his work week. It’s the only thing that keeps him from getting burned out these days.

He doesn’t know what he expected to be doing with his life at thirty-four years old, but assistant managing a chain clothing store doesn’t suit him at all. He’s not sure what would. Even as a kid, he could never think of an answer to the “What do you want to be when you grow up?” question and usually defaulted to something unobtainable like astronaut or fashion designer.

Decorating mannequins is close enough to designing fashion, he supposes. He’s not supposed to deviate from the coordinations provided by corporate, but every now and then he’ll tie a scarf differently or change up the colors to add some of his own flair. His general manager, a friendly woman several years younger than him, hasn’t noticed yet.

As much as he enjoys helping people pick out clothes, it’s not a very fulfilling life. He has plenty of friends and a good relationship with his family, yet he’s still alone most of the time. Not necessarily lonely, just alone.

Once the groceries are put away, he gets to work cleaning the windows to distract himself from his thoughts. The squeaky sound of newspaper smearing Windex is oddly satisfying, his smile reflecting back at him in the clear glass. He does have a pretty great smile, if he says so himself.

He does the living room first, then both bedrooms. He tackles all the mirrors while it’s at it. It’s not so much that he enjoys cleaning as he enjoys his surroundings being clean, so he pushes through the temporary discomfort to feel good afterward. He doesn’t know if that’s healthy behavior, but it works for him.

When he gets to the back patio, he notices tracks in the snow. It hadn’t snowed that much, just enough to leave the outside world with a light dusting of white, but something had decided to walk across his patio toward the abandoned planters in the corner. They don’t look like bird tracks.

Curiously, Massu slips into his outside shoes and slides open the door. The cold air stings his face and he instantly regrets not throwing on a hoodie, rushing to peek into the planter so he can go back inside. Except that once he sees the ball of fluff, he can’t look away.

It’s a cat. A fluffy one with folded ears and pure white fur splotched with light brown. The color of milk tea.

“Hello,” he says carefully. He’s never had a cat, so he doesn’t know how to talk to them.

The cat stirs a little, then curls up a little more like it’s trying to stay warm. When Massu looks more closely, he sees that it’s shivering. He also sees a collar.

“Are you someone’s pet?” he asks, immediately berating himself because it’s not like he’s going to get an answer. “Can I see your tags?”

A sense of dread accompanies his own shiver as he slowly extends his hand toward the planter. The cat eyes him contemplatively before leaning up, and for one terrifying second Massu thinks it’s going to bite his fingers off before it presses its head against his knuckles instead.

He relaxes as he pets the soft fur, the shivers instantly turning to purrs. The cat jumps out of the planter and swirls around his feet, rubbing against his legs with its tail up in the air. He doesn’t know what that gesture means, but it’s probably happy as long as it’s purring.

The last thing he wants is cat hair in his clean apartment, not to mention he doesn’t have any cat supplies, but he’s starting to freeze and his heart aches too much to leave it outside. Hopefully, he’ll be able to get a hold of the owner and they will come get it right away.

“Come on, then,” he sighs out as he opens the door and waits. “You can come in.”

The cat meows at him and continues making figure-eights between his legs, oblivious to the open door. Massu rolls his eyes and reaches down to pick it up, holding it out from his body so it doesn’t shed on his clothes, and carries it all the way to the bathroom. He doesn’t want it ruining the carpet either.

Once they’re shut in the tiled room, Massu sits on the closed toilet seat and tries to get a good look at the cat’s tags. It keeps trying to jump in his lap, but he gently shoos it off. It jumps up to the sink instead, tucking its paws underneath it as its tail dangles off the side.

He makes the mistake of grabbing onto the tag to read it and ends up rubbing soft ears as he pulls out his phone. The purring sound is kind of nice. If cat hair wasn’t so annoying to clean up, he might think about getting one as a pet.

“Hello?”

The unnaturally deep voice takes Massu aback for a second, then he gathers himself enough to respond.

“Hello. My name is Masuda. I found your cat.”

“My cat?”

“Yes?” Massu frowns as he peeks at the tags again. “’Milk-chan’?”

“She’s there with you?”

The other person sounds confused, like they don’t understand why Massu is calling them.

“But I just saw her...” The pleasant voice trails off into a thoughtful groan. “She must have gotten out when I was cleaning! Where did you find her?”

“On my patio, in the planter.”

“Aw, I bet she’s cold!”

“I brought her inside. She’s in my bathroom now.”

“Which apartment are you in?”

“2B.”

“Oh, I’m just a few doors down. I’ll be right there!”

Massu grunts his agreement and hangs up. He’s not exactly dressed for company, but it’s not like he’s indecent. At least most of his windows are clean.

Not an entire minute later, there’s a knock on his door. “Masuda-san!”

The cat—Milk-chan—perks up at the voice, recognizing her owner. Massu struggles to get out of the bathroom without her escaping, her sharp meows following him all the way to the door.

Massu’s used to looking up to people, but they’re not usually this pretty. It’s probably offensive to use the word “pretty” to describe a man, or at least someone masculine-presenting, but that’s all he can think as he takes in the aesthetically-pleasing appearance of the person standing before him.

Not only is Milk’s owner tall, he also has shiny hair, flawless skin, and kind eyes, with arm muscles that strain the short sleeves of his T-shirt. He could dress better, but Massu’s not really in a position to be judging other people’s clothes in his house sweats.

“I’m Koyama.”

A friendly smile and Massu momentarily forgets his own name. Good thing he had already introduced himself, because Milk’s wails carry all the way down the hall and Koyama’s face falls into a dangerous pout.

“I hear you, baby girl!” he calls out, wringing his hands as he looks pointedly at Massu. “Can I come inside and get her?”

“Oh! Yes, of course.”

Massu steps to the side and Koyama brushes past him. He’d worn his slippers out in the hallway, at which Massu wrinkles his nose as he pointedly offers his guest slippers. Koyama looks like he wants to protest—he’s only going to be here for a minute or two at most—but obediently switches shoes and follows Massu into the bathroom.

“Milk-chan!”

It’s a rather dramatic reunion considering he hadn’t even known she was gone, but that’s not Massu’s business to comment on. Instead, he watches Milk-chan jump into Koyama’s arms and rub her head against his face, all the while Koyama coos at her and hugs her close. It’s kind of endearing to see someone so tall and muscular display his feelings so openly, in front of a stranger even.

“Thank you so much,” Koyama says earnestly, cradling the fluffy cat in one arm as he heads back to the genkan and switches shoes again. “I really appreciate you bringing her inside and calling me.”

“I couldn’t leave her out in the cold,” Massu tells him.

Koyama smiles again. “You have a kind heart, Masuda-san.”

“Thank you. I try.”

Koyama lets himself out and Massu returns to the windows. When he’s done, he works out (it’s leg day) and runs a bath. Koyama doesn’t cross his mind until he’s performing his nightly moisturizing routine, when Massu finds himself wondering what products Koyama uses to keep his skin so nice. Koyama’s number is still in his phone—he could just ask him. He seems like the type of easygoing person who wouldn’t be bothered by a random question like that.

Instead, Massu puts on some music and gets ready for bed. It’s not until he goes to set his alarm that he notices he has a text message.

_Thanks again for rescuing my baby girl today! I’m in 2G if you ever need anything. Or if you just want to hang out. Do you like anime?_

Massu’s first thought is to blow him off, but something compels him to reply. His reaction earlier—dare he say _attraction_ —to Koyama had been too strong to ignore, not to mention he’s beyond overdue for some excitement. Whatever imprint Koyama leaves on his soul will undoubtedly be an improvement.

It’s just an ordinary Tuesday, yet he knows it’s the day he met the person who would change his life.


End file.
